New Speakers Are Aiming To Make A Big Noise In The Christmas Rush
Bluetooth speakers for wirelessly booming out music from phones and tablets are old hat, so the leading players have added interactivity and hope for big sales in the pre-Christmas rush.
The Amazon Echo Dot and the Google Chromecast Audio are both devices that you can talk to in order to stream audio content from Androids, iPhones or iPads.
They will fetch you anything from a music track to the weather forecast.
And, of course, the ability of both to deliver multi-room music is a key reason why some folks have invested in them.
However, there are differences between the two.
First up is the price, the Dot costs £50 whereas the Chromecast will set you back just £30.
Yet the Dot will do more.
It has the same functionality as its big brother, the full blown Echo home hub.
Whilst a separate Google home hub to connect back to is needed for Chromecast to control home devices, the Dot has full-blown Alexa smart home connectivity. It also shares the echo's much lauded seven microphone all round voice recognition.
The Dot has a built in speaker, whereas the Chromecast does not.
Mind you, it is generally agreed that the Dot speaker is so tinny that it is not worth bothering with.
So, connecting to a decent speaker is actually the only way to enjoy either.
Away from those big hitters, though, there is another wireless speaker that might prove a popular stocking filler this year.
The VicTsing Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker is built for those who love to sing along in the shower.
Currently available from Amazon, it looks capable of making a splash.
